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Component Overview
THE MAP HEXES Before every game of TI, players will create a unique game board by connecting the provided hexagon map pieces. Each individual piece is called a "system." The systems of TI each represent an area of space, its planets, and/or other elements of interest. Systems that contain an interior yellow outline are Home Systems from which the great races hail. Systems containing an interior red outline are Special Systems (such as Asteroid Fields) governed by special rules. THE PLASTIC GAME UNITS The detailed plastic pieces of TI (collectively called "units") represent the military personnel, shipyards, defence systems, and spaceships that players will command. Units not employed on the game board are kept in a player’s reinforcement area. THE PLANET CARDS Representing the multitude of planets in TI, Planet Cards are used by players to indicate ownership over each individual planet and are "exhausted" (turned face down) when their owner "spends" the planets' resources or influence. TECHNOLOGY TREES At the beginning of the game, each player receives an identical Technology Tree depicting all the 30 Technology Advances. Throughout the game, when a player purchases (or otherwise acquires) a technology, the corresponding Technology is marked on the Technology Tree. THE ACTION CARDS The Action Cards of TI provide players with a variety of helpful events, manoeuvres, bonuses, and other advantages. Players receive Action Cards throughout the game by a variety of activities. THE POLITICAL CARDS Often the representatives of the great races must meet in the hallowed halls of the Galactic Council on Mecatol Rex to debate, deliberate, and enact policy for the custodial imperial charter. When a player executes the primary ability of the Assembly Strategy Card during the Action Phase, one or more Political Cards will be put on the “docket”. Each Political Card contains an agenda that all players must vote upon. The effects of an agenda can range from a minor formality, to a major change in the very structure of the game. THE OBJECTIVE CARDS (PUBLIC, PRELIMINARY AND SECRET) In order to win TI, players need to accumulate victory points. The primary way for players to receive such is by qualifying for the requirements of an Objective Card. The victory points provided by Public Objective Cards are attainable by all players, whereas those from Secret Objective Cards are individual to each player. Preliminary Objectives are only temporarily available – once someone has scored them, they are no longer available to the other players. ARTIFACT TOKENS AND OBJECTIVE CARDS These tokens represent four ancient relics of power that are hidden somewhere throughout the galaxy. Each artifact also has a corresponding green Special Objective card worth 1 Victory Point to its controller. There are also “dummy” tokens that are not worth Victory Points but give out 2 Trade Goods upon discovery. VOICE OF THE COUNCIL, MAGISTERIAL AND IMPERIAL These cards are green Special Objectives that each give their holder one Victory Point. Voice of the Council is acquired through voting in the Galactic Council and it also gives the holder 5 extra votes. Magisterial and Imperial are awarded to any players who control enough planets outside their Home Systems . THE TRADE CARDS Each race has two Trade Contract cards which they can use to form trade agreements with other players. Each Trade Card has a numerical trade value which varies from race to race, with higher being better. However, the number indicates the number of Trade Goods that the Trade Partner gets, not what the player himself gets. THE STRATEGY CARDS Each of the eight (or nine, in a 4, 7 or 8-player game) cardboard Strategy Cards represents a powerful short-term strategy. During the Strategy Phase of each game round, each player will select one Strategy Card and must later use its primary ability. Each Strategy Card also enables an important secondary ability that other players may execute after the primary ability is resolved. In addition, there is a High Alert token for use with the Warfare Strategy Card. THE BONUS COUNTERS After all players have selected a Strategy Card during the Strategy Phase, there will be one or more Strategy Cards remaining in the common play area. Before the Strategy Phase ends, the remaining Strategy Cards receive a Bonus Counter that is placed on top of the Strategy Card itself. A player that later selects such a Strategy Card will be able to use the Bonus Counter to receive an additional 1 Command Counter, 1 Action Card or 1 Trade Good, or kept for later to be used as an extra vote. COMMAND COUNTERS The Command Counter in TI is the abstract but integral resource representing the domestic mandate, budget, organization, logistics, and preparedness of your race. When a player receives a Command Counter from his reinforcements, he must place it in either the Fleet Supply area, Strategy Allocation area, or Command Pool area on his Race Sheet. In order to execute tactical actions (such as moving, building, or initiating combat on the board), take advantage of the secondary abilities of Strategy Cards, or manage his fleets, a player must wisely allocate and spend Command Counters. THE CONTROL MARKERS At the beginning of the game, each player is provided with a generous number of flag-shaped Control Markers, each bearing the insignia of that player's race. The Control Markers are used to represent a race wherever appropriate, such as on the Victory Point Track, on successfully achieved Objective Cards, to indicate ownership of planets and other instances. THE TRADE GOOD COUNTERS These counters represent the wealth and rewards of interstellar commerce. They are primarily obtained by active trade agreements while the Trade Strategy Card is being executed. A player's Trade Goods can be used as a direct substitute for either resources or influence (except when voting!), and are frequently used as currency among players to pay for bribes or other considerations. THE VICTORY POINT TRACK The Victory Point Track is used to indicate each player's accumulation of victory points. Note that the main side of the Victory Point Track has spaces numbered from 0 to 10, whereas the reverse side is numbered 0 to 14. The players may choose which side to use, depending on how many points are decided to be the winning amount. THE SPEAKER TOKEN AND THE ROTATION CYCLER The holder of this token (called the Speaker) is determined when the Assembly Strategy card is activated. The player who controls the Speaker Token always chooses the first Strategy Card during the next Strategy Phase. The Rotation Cycler determines the order, clockwise or anti-clockwise, of Strategy Card selection and activation of secondary abilities of Strategy Cards. GROUND FORCE AND FIGHTER UNIT SUPPLEMENT TOKENS AND SHOCK TROOPS The Ground Force and the Fighter units are the only units in the game that players may purchase unlimited quantities of. All other unit types are limited to the figures provided with the game. The Fighter and Ground Force supplement tokens represent the extra Fighter and Ground Force units that players may add to their forces. Shock troops don’t have their own plastic figures. Each player uses the same cardboard counter to represent their Shock Troops, marked with the race’s Control Marker. THE RACE SHEETS Enclosed in your game, you will find 17 large cardboard sheets, each representing one of the great races of the TI universe. After selecting a race to play, each player receives the corresponding Race Sheet, which provides each player with specific information for his race as well as helpful game information tables. The Race Sheet is also used for keeping track of a player’s active Command Counters and Trade Goods. RACE-SPECIFIC TECHNOLOGIES Each of the 17 races has three Race-Specific Technologies. These Technology cards may only be acquired by the appropriate race. Special Tokens have been included for use with the Ghosts of Creuss and the Embers of Muaat Racial Technologies. FLAGSHIP CARDS Each of the 17 races has the ability to build its own Flagship, a powerful warship with unique race-specific abilities. These ships may only be built by the appropriate race. FACILITY CARDS These cards represent refineries and colonies that players may build on a planet to increase the planet’s resources or influence value. SPACE MINE TOKENS Cruisers have the ability to deploy space mines. Ships moving into a system through borders covered with space mines could be destroyed before combat. MECATOL REX CUSTODIAN TOKENS These 3 Fighters and 2 Ground Forces represent guardians of Mecatol Rex. They must be defeated before annexing the capitol planet. WORMHOLE TOKENS Wormholes facilitate movement to distant systems across the galaxy. Some galaxies have more wormholes than others. These tokens can be used to create more interesting maps. DOMAIN COUNTERS AND SPACE DOMAIN COUNTERS Domain Counters are used with the Distant Suns and Final Frontier optional rules. They bring more randomness and excitement to the early expansion stages of the game. Domain Counters are placed on planets, while Space Domain Counters are in space.